West Valley City • The City Council will review police investigative records into the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell in a closed session before deciding whether to release them to an attorney for the missing woman’s parents.

Councilman Corey Rushton, acting mayor, said the council came to no other conclusions Tuesday in a brief executive session that followed a sometimes testy public hearing on the request for the documents.

The council has five business days to issue a decision on the request for the records from Washington attorney Anne Bremner.

"We’re as anxious as anyone to get to the bottom of this," Rushton said before joining the council in the private session.

Bremner argued that Powell’s parents are entitled to police records detailing the investigation into her 2009 disappearance because they are also victims. She said the piecemeal release of information in the case has been like a "knife to the heart" to her clients.

"Chuck and Judy would like to just see it all now," Bremner told council members, arguing they have the right to make a conditional release of the documents under Utah’s Victims’ Rights Act. She also said the Coxes believe reviewing the records will help them find their missing daughter.

But Clint Gilmore, legal adviser to the West Valley City Police Department, said release of the records could jeopardize its ongoing investigation.

"We want to solve this case," Gilmore said. "That is our purpose. The case is still active and we are pursuing it."

City Attorney Eric Bunderson told council members they could put restrictions on dissemination of the records if they decide to release them to Bremner.

Powell was last seen at her West Valley City home on Dec. 6, 2009. Her husband Josh Powell told police she was in bed when he left their home around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 with their two young sons to camp in the desert. Susan Powell is still missing and has not yet been declared dead.

Josh Powell killed his two sons and himself in a fire set at his rented home in Graham, Wash., on Feb. 5.

Bremner first requested the documents from the police department in April. She filed a similar request with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office at the same time.

Bremner asked for investigative reports, forensic and evidence reports, witness and suspect statements, audio, video and surveillance recordings, photographs and reports and communication from other law enforcement agencies.

Bremner said she wants to review the documents for a potential civil lawsuit and has pledged to not release them publicly. She maintains there are no privacy or investigative concerns that warrant keeping the files from Susan Powell’s parents.

Bremner filed an appeal with the council in July after both the police department and the city’s manager rejected requests for "any and all" investigative files related to the case, citing Utah’s public records law.

Councilman Steve Buhler, an attorney, had pointed questions for Bremner about who she represents and whether there can be a victims’ rights claim since no court has declared Susan Powell dead. He noted that Bremner said in some records requests and subsequent appeals that she represents Susan Powell’s estate.

Bremner responded sharply, saying she didn’t want to argue with Buhler, but later apologized for her tone. She told him he holds an important government position and she hopes he does "the right thing."

Afterward, Bremner said she was "100 percent sure" the fight for the records will end up in court.

Kiirsi Hellewell, Susan’s friend and former neighbor, attended Tuesday’s hearing and expressed confidence in the work West Valley City police are doing to solve the case.

"I completely believe that they’re working full time on this," Hellewell said.

Hellewell said she believe it is "obvious" they are investigating others besides Josh Powell — something Gilmore also hinted at Tuesday night, saying the ongoing police investigation isn’t aimed at filing criminal charges against the missing woman’s husband.

How can they file "criminal charges on a deceased person"??? If Ann Bremner has no intention of releasing these docs to the public, IMHO she has every right to see them. West Valley PD had more than ample time to arrest JP and they Failed miserably.

a bit but did anyone see NG tonight? They had someone reading S. Powell's diary about Susan and it was absolutely sickening. I think West Valley will do everything possible NOT to give Anne Bremner those documents. JMO.

raine1953 wrote: a bit but did anyone see NG tonight? They had someone reading S. Powell's diary about Susan and it was absolutely sickening. I think West Valley will do everything possible NOT to give Anne Bremner those documents. JMO.

I think that NG needs to chill out a bit when talking to Chuck Cox. She made a big point about the way His grandson's were killed, like Mr. Cox doesn't realize that..then, she HAS to insert the fact that SHE is a "victim". Then, says to him, "There is No Way Susan is alive." We all feel that way but she doesn't need to be so damned insensitive.

_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!

Attorney makes final request for Susan Powell recordsSusan Powell family to appeal records decisionAttorney ready to sue over records in Susan Powell caseWEST VALLEY CITY — The pressure is on West Valley City leaders today as they must deliver a decision on whether to release police documents related to the Susan Powell case.

Anne Bremner, attorney for Susan Powell's parents Chuck and Judy Cox, says if this third and final appeal is denied by the City Council then a civil lawsuit will be filed against the city.

Bremner says her clients have a constitutional right to police records. She has asked the West Valley City police chief and the city manager for the police records related to the case, but both of those requests have been denied.

She told the City Council during last week's appeal hearing that the records could lead to answers about Susan Powell's disappearance in 2009. Their questions surrounding the case include whether Susan's husband, Josh Powell, should have been arrested before he killed their two grandsons, and are there other suspects in the case?

The information might also help resolve an on-going life insurance policy dispute with the Powell family.

The legal advisor for the West Valley Police Department argues the investigation into Powell's disappearance isn't over, and that the police department is still actively working on it. He told the council during the hearing that releasing the documents could jeopardize the investigation.

The council was given five days to make a decision. Today is the fifth day. It's unclear when the council will present its decision, but it needs to be sometime today. According to Bremner, if the appeal is denied the next step is court.

Susan Powell has been missing from her West Valley home since December of 2009 and is presumed dead. Her husband, Josh Powell — whom detectives were investigating for kidnapping and possible murder — killed himself and murdered his two young sons in Washington in February.

West Valley City • The case of Josh and Susan Cox Powell appears headed to court, but not the way so many people once expected.

The West Valley City Council on Tuesday denied an appeal from Susan Powell’s family to see police investigative records in her missing person’s case. After the council held a brief private meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Corey Rushton announced the unanimous decision to uphold earlier denials issued by city staff.

Rushton said the council spent the past week "very slowly and very deliberately" looking through "a lot" of documents related to the investigation into Susan Powell’s 2009 disappearance. He said it was "very apparent" under Utah’s records law that the city had good reason to withhold them.

The decision issued by the council specifically cited provisions in the law that allow records to be classified as protected if releasing them "reasonably could be expected to interfere" with an investigation, deprive a person of a fair trial or disclose sources. (The person that murdered Susan is DEAD!! So, WTH is this bs about "depriving a person of a fair trial?") :FBI:

"After viewing them it was very apparent to us that releasing them at this time could be reasonably expected to hamper an ongoing investigation," Rushton said.

Rushton also said the council understands the family’s heartbreak and that its "hopes and prayers" are that there will be an ultimate resolution of the case.

Seattle attorney Anne Bremner, who represents Susan Powell’s parents, previously said her clients would file a lawsuit if West Valley City refused to provide the records.

"The decision by the WV Cy Council to deny our request for records in the Cox Powell case is disappointing," Bremner said in a statement released via Twitter on Tuesday. "We will press on."

Susan Powell was last seen at her West Valley City home on Dec. 6, 2009. Her husband Josh Powell told police she was in bed when he left their home around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 with their two young sons to camp in the desert. Susan Powell is still missing and has not yet been declared dead.

Josh Powell was the only person of interest in the case until he killed himself and his two sons in a fire on Feb. 5 of this year.

Bremner said Chuck and Judy Cox, Susan’s parents, want to review the documents for two reasons: to see if there are clues that might solve their daughter’s disappearance and for possible use in a potential civil lawsuit.

The police department and the city manager denied the request earlier this year, but Bremner appealed those decisions to the city council. She argued at a public hearing last Tuesday that there are no privacy or investigative concerns that warrant not releasing the files.

Bremner also told the council the piecemeal release of information in the case has been like a "knife to the heart" to her clients.

But Clint Gilmore, legal adviser to the West Valley City Police Department, said release of the records could jeopardize its ongoing investigation.

"We want to solve this case," Gilmore said. "That is our purpose. The case is still active and we are pursuing it."

"Bremner also told the council the piecemeal release of information in the case has been like a "knife to the heart" to her clients."West Valley doesn't care about the Cox's, they care about : and they are a bunch of cold hearted cowardly chicken s**** (was trying to find an emoticon for that one)!

They say they are still investigating and want a person to have a fair trial. They KNOW who killed Susan. They KNOW they should have had JP behind bars years ago. This is so damned frustrating!!!!!!!!! There really are No Words!

_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!

I agree that Steve was somehow involved..at the very least, he KNEW what his son did. Either way, LE knew what JP did. His "alibi" saying he took the kids camping in sub zero temps and then saying he doesn't remember that it was a Monday and he was suppose to be at work is WEAK, also the blood stains and the fan on them. GMAB! This LE is FOS!!

_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!

Seattle True Crime author Ann Rule’s next book, Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors, will take a close up look at the case of Susan Cox Powell, a missing Utah woman, whose husband Josh Powell eventually moved himself and his two young boys to Washington state. In a horrific tragedy on February 5, 2012 Josh Powell killed himself and his two boys in a house fire in Graham, WA.

According to Simon & Shuster, Ann’s next book will be available on November 27, 2012.

“Ann Rule had been trying to avoid cases where children are victims as she finds it too emotionally draining to immerse herself in their stories. But she had been already working on Susan’s story before the shocking murder of Charlie and Braden. Susan’s family expects her to finish the book and she is proceeding. (Ann was especially touched to learn that she was one of Susan Cox Powell’s favorite authors.) Ann is determined to write a book that will not only honor the memory of the three victims but will call attention to the fact that we need stricter laws concerning visitations with abusive, estranged parents.”

The book is also expected to cover the 2011 case of Rebecca Zahau, the 32-year old girlfriend of a billionaire who was found dead in her wealthy boyfriend’s home just days after the 54-year old man’s 6-year old son died as the result of falling down the home’s stairway, according to a San Diego news station’s website.

West Valley City • For the second time in a month, the City Council heard an appeal asking that it review certain records in the Susan Cox Powell case to see if they are properly being withheld from the public.

The Salt Lake Tribune filed the appeal challenging denials by the police department and city manager earlier this summer to release five records in the missing mother’s case.

The council met briefly Tuesday in executive session following a public hearing on the appeal and Mayor Mike Winder said afterward only that a decision would be forthcoming.

The records requested include: recordings or transcripts of interviews with Josh Powell, Susan’s husband; forensic reports of blood found in the Powell’s West Valley City home and of possible charred remains found during a search in Utah’s West Desert; GPS data from a tracking device placed on Josh Powell’s minivan; and reports regarding vehicles Josh Powell rented after his wife’s disappearance.

The Tribune had also requested records of any service calls to the Powell home between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 6, 2009, the day Susan Cox Powell was last known to have been at the home. But City Manager Wayne Pyle previously informed the newspaper that the city has no record of any calls being made to the Powell’s home.

On Tuesday, Pyle and Clint Gilmore, legal adviser to the West Valley City Police Department, both urged the council to deny the appeal because the investigation is ongoing.

"It has been established clearly … that an ongoing investigation is in fact occurring along multiple avenues and taking a considerable amount of time," said Pyle, who added that the media — and The Tribune in particular — seem to not believe that.

But Tribune editor Nate Carlisle said the issue is not whether an investigation is ongoing, but rather if releasing the documents would "reasonably" interfere with that investigation.

Carlisle told the council that, previous denials aside, the council still has an obligation under the state’s records law to independently review the documents and determine if they should be made public.

"If you don’t take that look, you are just taking the police department’s word for it," Carlisle said.

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Most of the requested documents related directly to Josh Powell, Carlisle said, and there is not a "good reason to protect records that relate directly to Josh Powell."

Susan Cox Powell was last seen at the home on Dec. 6, 2009. Her husband was the only "person of interest" named by West Valley City Police.

Josh Powell killed himself and sons Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, in a fire set at his rented home in Graham, Wash., in February.

He also gave the council a copy of Utah Supreme Court ruling that found a government entity could not withhold documents merely because of concerns about their impact on an ongoing or future investigation.

With each day that passes, it is less and less likely that the records are going to be pertinent and reasonably interfere with an investigation, Carlisle said.

But council member Steve Buhler said whatever Josh Powell said and did "did not die with him" and the records may be important to any case brought against other individuals.

The Tribune first requested documents related to the case shortly after Susan Cox Powell disappeared. It requested the five specific documents listed in the appeal in May.

Gilmore said the police department’s "bottom line continues to be that we want to solve this case."

"That is what we are actively pursuing," he said. "And the fact is that the information being requested is sensitive and is therefore protected."

Gilmore said that all five records fall within provisions of the records law that protect ongoing investigations, enforcement and depriving a person of a fair trial. He said the GPS tracking device reports are protected by provisions that address investigative techniques and government sources.

When pressed about the need to protect the forensic reports, Gilmore responded that "no one can anticipate a document’s future worth to a hearing, interview or prosecution. That would be revealing something about the case we don’t want to reveal."

Last month, a 3rd District Court judge released 84 court documents filed in the case following two years of effort by The Tribune to get the records unsealed. Those documents included search warrants and affidavits that showed police almost immediately classified the case as a kidnapping and murder investigation.

But the city has refused to make other documents public. Last month, it turned down an appeal filed by Washington attorney Anne Bremner, who had requested investigative records on behalf of Chuck and Judy Cox, Susan’s parents.

In announcing that decision, council member Corey Rushton said it was clear after reviewing records in private that releasing them would interfere with an ongoing investigation into what happened to the young mother. The council did not specify what records it reviewed.

Bremner said Tuesday she still intends to take the city to court over that decision.

West Valley City • The City Council on Tuesday denied a request from The Salt Lake Tribune to release certain records in the case of missing mother Susan Cox Powell.

Council members released an order Tuesday evening upholding City Manager Wayne Pyle’s denial of the request. The order says release of the records reasonably could be expected to interfere with an investigation, create a danger of depriving a person of a right to a fair trial or disclose the identity of a source.continue at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Camilyn Morrison experienced what she can only describe as a dream two days after the murders of Charlie and Braden Powell at the hands of their father, Joshua, and said Susan Cox Powell was there.

“It's added to my ability to heal. ... It's lent a lot of healing to me. Not just the music, but knowing that people care.”Jennifer GravesCOTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Camilyn Morrison struggled after hearing about the Feb. 5, 2012, murders of Charlie and Braden Powell at the hands of their father, Joshua.

"It just hit really close to home," she said. "I was heartbroken, just devastated. It was really, really bothering me."

The brutal details of the way they were killed were especially difficult and left her confused and on her knees, asking God for comfort. She said she experienced what she can only describe as a dream two days after the deaths and said Susan Cox Powell was there.

The boys' mother — a West Valley City woman who has been missing since December of 2009 — told her something that provided the needed comfort, she said.

"With their hands in mine, they left just in time," Morrison recalled Susan Powell saying in the dream. "They were both safe inside God's arms before they felt any harm."

Morrison wrote the words down and, within a few weeks, turned them into part of a song that she asked a friend to record. She then gave the song, titled "Susan's Song: 'A Dream Away,'" to Josh Powell's sister, Jennifer Graves.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"I just wanted to give her something more than a hug — that would last longer," Morrison said.

Saturday, the song was performed publicly for the first time at Ivy Girl Academy, an event which aims to provide confidence and leadership training for girls between 12 and 18 years old. Program director Jessie Funk was the friend Morrison asked to record the song and she performed it to a backdrop of a video collage of Susan, Charlie and Braden.

"I'm happy to sing it, I'm honored to sing it," Funk said before addressing the girls in attendance. "You are worth protecting. You are worth standing up for. You are worth saying, 'I don't think so' when someone doesn't respect your boundaries."

Graves said she first heard the song in March and listened to it 40 to 50 times that first weekend. As soon as she'd stop crying, she'd start the song over.

"It's added to my ability to heal. ... It's lent a lot of healing to me," Graves said. "Not just the music, but knowing that people care. In March, we decided to release it to the public."

The decision was made to release the song around Susan Powell's Oct. 16 birthday. She would be 31 this year. The song is now available for sale on iTunes and all proceeds will go toward a memorial family and friends hope to erect in Utah of the woman and her two sons.

Cottonwood Heights >> She was mentally abused by her father. She watched her brother exert the same control and manipulation over her sister in-law. And she lives with terrible images conjured from police reports about her brother killing himself and his two sons.

Yet it was building healthy relationships through appropriate boundaries — and forgiveness — that Jennifer Graves talked about on Saturday at an all-girls empowerment workshop.

Fighting domestic violence

“Susan’s Song, ‘A Dream Away’ ” will be available for sale on iTunes on Monday. Profits from the sales will go toward two memorials that Susan’s friends and family hope to build in West Valley City Puyallup, Wash. For more information: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"You have to let go of the pain, but remember the experience in order to learn from it," she told a roomful of teenage girls.

Graves became estranged from her brother, Josh Powell, while publicly calling upon him to be more forthcoming with information in the case of his missing wife, Susan Powell. Graves acknowledged she’s still working on forgiving her brother.

"There are so many layers. For so long, growing up, I’d stuff my emotions away," she said. "This situation, as hard as it is, brings those emotions back. But rather than stuffing them away, I’m trying to learn from them."

Susan Powell has been missing since Dec. 6, 2009. Josh Powell was the only person of interest in the disappearance.

Graves said the event was her way of celebrating Susan Powell’s 31st birthday, which arrives Tuesday. Her talk ended with a live rendition of "Susan’s Song, ‘A Dream Away’ " written by a friend weeks after the boys were killed in a house fire in Graham, Wash.

The song, and accompanying slide show featuring photos of Susan and the two boys, was a somber way to end an otherwise light-hearted self-improvement workshop sponsored by the Ivy Girl Academy.

It’s lesson that Graves says she wishes Susan Powell had learned before it was too late.

"Our most basic need in life is relationships," she said. "So we have learn how to have healthy relationships. And the very basis of that is having healthy boundaries."

Just like the locked doors on homes, personal boundaries are there to keep the good in and the bad out, she said. Boundaries can be set with space, time, our body language, our words and the choices we make.

"It’s about taking responsibility for your actions and realizing you can’t control someone else’s actions," she said.

"It’s about setting limits with regard to other people and ourselves," Graves said. "We can’t control others but we can limit our exposure to toxic relationships."

In setting boundaries in dating, Graves told girls, "Always be who you are. If you have to change who you are, that’s a big red flag."

Graves told the girls when they first meet a guy, take time to get to know him in many contexts, at school, with friends and his family.

"Spend time apart to ponder on your relationship," she said. "And continue to have connections with your friends. You’ll need them for support."

And if your boyfriend does something that makes you uncomfortable or angry, tell him, she said.

"He should express empathy, apologize and promise not to do it again, and then follow through with it."

raine1953 wrote: a bit but did anyone see NG tonight? They had someone reading S. Powell's diary about Susan and it was absolutely sickening. I think West Valley will do everything possible NOT to give Anne Bremner those documents. JMO.

I think that NG needs to chill out a bit when talking to Chuck Cox. She made a big point about the way His grandson's were killed, like Mr. Cox doesn't realize that..then, she HAS to insert the fact that SHE is a "victim". Then, says to him, "There is No Way Susan is alive." We all feel that way but she doesn't need to be so damned insensitive.

NG never misses a chance to remind everyone she is also a "victim of violent crime". Sorry, NG, it was your supposed fiance that was killed, not you. You are NOT a victim. The way she throws that story around reminds me she is mentioning it to profit from it, in a roundabout (backwards, LOL) way because she wants this story to be part of her 'persona'. Its one of the many many reasons I cannot stomach NG anymore. JMO.

SALT LAKE CITY — Siblings of Josh Powell are going after millions in life insurance taken out on Susan Powell and her two slain boys. Susan's parents say they will fight to stop the Powell's from claiming any of the money.

$3.5 million is atin the Powells' claim. The Coxes say they're fighting for it not because they want it, but because they don't think the Powell family has right to it.

Before Josh Powell killed himself and his two sons, Charlie and Braden in February, he changed the beneficiaries on their life insurance policies from himself to his siblings.

Chuck Cox spoke with KIRO 7 in Seattle about the Powells' claim. He says it's not right that somebody should profit from his two grandsons being murdered.

"I know they're looking at, 'Oh goody, here's some cash.' We don't think that's right, and we want to use it to help other people," Cox said.

Cox said he's taking on the battle over the insurance money because he believes it's the right thing to do.

Anne Bremner, the attorney for the Cox family will likely argue that the Coxes were the primary care providers at the time Charlie and Braden were killed by their father. She'll also likely say that Susan Powell paid for most of the insurance premiums before she disappeared.

The bottom line is, the Coxes do not want the Powell's to benefit from the murder of their two grandsons.

Bremner also spoke to KIRO 7 in Washington Wednesday about this. She's hopeful the court will see the other factors at play here.

"The court can look at who paid the premiums, when the changes were made (and) were they appropriate," Bremner said.

The Powell family did not return calls for a comment. Mediation in the case will be in federal court in Tacoma next month.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – Construction will begin this week in Puyallup, WA on a monument for Charlie and Braden Powell, the two young boys killed by their father in a house explosion in February.

On Tuesday, the Puyallup City Council approved the $45,000 memorial which will be a Christmas Box Angel made of bronze and sitting on a white granite base with Charlie’s and Braden’s names etched in brick. The monument will be placed at Woodbine Cemetery.

“We just thought it was a nice thing for anyone who's lost a child who's going to the cemetery to grieve,” said Kiirsi Hellewell, a friend of Susan’s.

The memorial is being paid for by the donations from all over the world. Hellewell said there could soon be another memorial for Susan Powell and the boys in West Valley City. Family and friends are in the process of raising money by selling copies of "Susan's Song" written by a family friend and available on iTunes.

“We 'd really like to see it at a place where mothers and children like to go, a park or library because we want it to be a interactive statue where kids can go up and put their hands in Susan's hand and Charlie and Braden’s hands and see the joy on their faces, of Susan and the boys being reunited and being together,” said Hellewell.The monument in Washington is expected to be complete Dec. 6, the three-year anniversary of the last time Susan Powell was seen alive.

By Keith Eldridge Published: Dec 3, 2012 at 4:41 PM PST[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Chuck Cox stands next to a newly installed memorial to people who have suffered the loss of a child, Monday Dec. 3, 2012, at Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

PUYALLUP, Wash. -- An angel is now watching over missing Puyallup native Susan Powell and her two deceased children.

Susan Powell's father, Chuck Cox, was overwhelmed with emotions as the memorial was erected on Monday.

"It's great. Finally," he said. "Good to see it coming together finally."

"This has been a long time," said his wife, Judy Cox.

The two watched as crane operators set in place the angel made of thousands of pounds of granite.

"And something good from it will happen," said Judy Cox.

Charlie and Braden Powell have been laid to rest at a hillside dedicated to children. Also buried at the hillside is Sebastian Hizey, who lost his life after being struck by flying debris at a monster truck show.

"It's hope for everybody," said Judy Cox. "This is not just for the boys; it's for all the kids. Every one is special."

After the boys' death, there was concern that Josh Powell was going to be buried next to his boys. But Crime Stoppers purchased the nearby plot, preventing that from happening. That effort grew into the hillside for children and $50,0000 in donations for the monument..

Inscription on the statue, called "Angel of Hope", says it is "dedicated as a place of love and healing for all those who have suffered the loss of a child."

The Coxes are still suffering the loss of their beloved child, Susan Powell.

"Our daughter is still missing, and we want to know where she is," Chuck Cox said.

But they say at least they know where their grandsons are -- now being watched over by an angel.

The memorial will be dedicated Thursday at 7 p.m. at Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup. The date marks the third anniversary of Susan Powell's disappearance from her Utah home.

Well they apparently learned NOTHING from the irresponsible deaths of Braden and Charlie, so preventable if everyone had been doing their JOBS!! Now they are going to let this sick twist go- will he be a RSO? Will he be allowed to live near and/or film kids again? As in- film them in their own bathrooms through a special lens? Oh Lord, he makes me sick. Maybe Karma will kick in and he will get what he so richly deserves!!!

WEST VALLEY CITY — On Feb. 5, as most residents were returning home from church or making final preparations for their Super Bowl parties, two short tweets sent by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office marked the beginning of what would become the biggest — and among the most tragic — news story of the year in Utah, even though the events happened 850 miles away in Washington state.

"Rescue operation in progress. Head towards Powell residence. Stand by" and "All media please stand by. Will have more in a few" were the consecutive tweets sent by detective Ed Troyer.

The calm Sunday turned into a frantic rush as official reports of an explosion and fire at the home of Josh Powell started coming in. In the days and weeks that followed, horrific details about the deaths of 7-year-old Charlie Powell and his 5-year-old brother Braden were revealed as well as the disturbing dynamics within the Powell family.

By August, thousands of pages of police reports and child welfare documents detailing the negative influence Josh Powell was having on his children had been released. Just a few months earlier, his father, Steven Powell, had been sentenced to prison for surreptitiously taking photographs of young neighbor girls in their home. Graphic and highly troubling pictures, videos and personal diaries outlined his obsession with his missing daughter-in-law. A memorial for Charlie and Braden Powell was constructed in their honor.

Despite the tumultuous year, this tragic family story has not yet ended.

Susan Powell remains missing and presumed dead. Steven Powell, 62, is scheduled to be released from custody in May. Two young girls who were the victims of Powell's voyeuristic habits when they lived next door to his Puyallup, Wash., home have filed a civil lawsuit against him. Trial for that suit is scheduled for 2014.

In yet more legal action, a guardian ad litem for Susan Powell filed a lawsuit on her behalf against the Washington Department of Social and Health Services alleging negligence in the deaths of her sons. A trial is scheduled for June.

Anne Bremner, the Seattle-based attorney for Chuck and Judy Cox, Susan Powell's parents, has threatened to file a civil lawsuit against West Valley City for not releasing all police records connected to the missing person/murder case. The West Valley Police Department has cut back on the number of people working the Susan Powell missing persons investigation but still considers the Powell case to be active.

Meanwhile, the legal wrangling continues over who should get the money from Josh and Susan Powell's life insurance policies: Josh Powell's siblings or Susan Powell's parents.

Unimaginable tragedyOn Feb. 1, a bitter and long custody battle between Josh Powell and his missing wife's parents apparently reached a breaking point when a Tacoma, Wash., judge ruled that Powell would not regain full custody of his boys. In addition, the judge ordered Powell to undergo a psychosexual evaluation. He left the courtroom without speaking to reporters and with a look of frustration on his face.

Four days later, just as a social worker with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services was taking Charlie and Braden Powell to their father's new rental house, Powell took his boys inside and locked the social worker out. A few minutes later, the house erupted in an inferno.

The next day the grief deepened with the shocking revelation that Powell used a hatchet on this two sons before he ignited his gasoline-soaked home. Questions were immediately raised about whether the tragedy could have been prevented — either by arresting Powell earlier in the suspected death of his wife (he had been and remains the prime suspect) or by not allowing Josh Powell to have access to his sons.

Criticism was further fueled by the release of documents indicating that officials had found hundreds of computer-generated sexual images on Josh Powell's computer involving popular cartoon characters or other animated figures. While the images are not illegal, a psychologist warned that they were "suggestive of global approval of sex between an adult and a minor."

Negative influencesIn the subsequent weeks, the Department of Social and Health Services in Washington released additional documents of child welfare records, shedding light on the disturbing and negative influences Josh Powell was having on his young children.

Search warrants were also unsealed in Washington that revealed many details West Valley police had not reported, including information that Susan Powell's blood was found in their West Valley home the night she disappeared on Dec. 6, 2009.

In May, the focus shifted to Steven Powell as his voyeurism trial began in Tacoma. He was accused of taking thousands of pictures of young women and girls in his neighborhood — including two girls who were photographed starting in 2006. Most of the pictures were apparently shot from Powell's bedroom. He used a telephoto lens to shoot into a nearby second-story open window while the girls were in their bathroom. The girls were 8 and 10 at the time.

Though it wasn't allowed as part of the trial, details of Steven Powell's diaries were discussed during pretrial hearings. The diaries outlined his sexually graphic obsession with his daughter-in-law.

In August, after Powell was convicted and sentenced, more than 2,100 pages of his diaries were released, most of them filled with descriptions of his disturbing and compulsive obsession over Susan Powell

In December, thousands of Powell's photos were released to the Associated Press through a public records request, including many of Susan Powell apparently taken without her knowledge.

Also in August, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services' Child Fatality Review Team released a 12-page report regarding the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell. The report suggested that communication between police and social workers dealing with the Powells could have been better, and recommended more domestic violence training for the state's social workers. But ultimately, it said, "nobody could have anticipated that Joshua Powell would murder his two sons."

Additionally, a 3rd District Court judge in Utah released heavily redacted search warrants to the public in August regarding the Susan Powell investigation. In them, it's clear that Josh Powell was a suspect almost immediately.The story retoldSusan Powell's story is expected to be on bookshelves across the nation in 2013. Jennifer Graves, Josh Powell's sister, has been writing a book of her perspective on the Powell family story. Well-known crime writer Ann Rule is also reportedly working on a book that includes the Susan Powell story.

Other authors reportedly considering a book about the Powells include Gregg Olsen, a New York Times best-selling author who has written novels and non-fiction books; and Isabelle Zehnder, an online writer who is familiar with the Powell case.

But the story remains without its ending.

On the third anniversary of Powell's Dec. 6, 2009, disappearance, West Valley police issued a brief statement, updating the status of its investigation.

"The number of full-time investigators assigned has been reduced. Some investigative tasks remain to be completed as follow-ups are coordinated," the statement read.

"The department remains committed to this investigation. The public is reminded there is a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Susan Cox Powell and encourages anyone with information to call the West Valley City Police Department at 801-840-4000."

This is one of the most heinous acts I have ever heard of. The nation was in shock when that pathetic excuse for a "father" and "husband" took the lives of his children in a completely Selfish act. I doubt we will ever know what really happened to Susan. The Cox's have kept their composure through everything they've had to deal with. I have huge respect for them and pray they will find some answers in 2013.

_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!

OLYMPIA -- The parents of a missing Utah mother pushed Friday for changes in Washington state laws on custody cases, saying proposed legislation might have prevented the killing of their two grandchildren.

Chuck and Judy Cox testified before a state Senate committee considering a bill that would restrict or block visitation rights for someone who is the subject of a murder investigation.

They told lawmakers the legislation could have changed the course of the case involving their missing daughter, Susan Powell, whose husband, Josh Powell, killed himself and their boys during a parental visit.

"Most likely, they would have officially named Josh Powell a suspect in order to afford Charlie and Braden more protection," Chuck Cox said, referring to the grandsons. The grandparents had custody of the two children.

Authorities in Utah had long been eyeing Josh Powell in the 2009 disappearance of his wife. Powell killed his children last year when they arrived at his home for a supervised visit.

Utah investigators never publicly declared Powell a suspect but treated him as one privately.

The proposed law in Washington would allow people involved in custody cases to demand information from law enforcement that might be relevant to decisions on visitation matters.

Republican Sen. Pam Roach, who is sponsoring the proposed bill, said it provides more tools for judges to restrict visitation. She noted that some visitations can be limited to just once a month in a public place -- not in a private home.

In the latest chapter of a tragic family, Michael C. Powell, the brother of Josh Powell, the Utah man who killed his two sons and himself in a gas explosion this time last year and was also suspected of killing his wife in 2009 committed suicide on Monday.Graduate student Michael C. Powell leapt to his death from a Minneapolis parking lot on MondayPowell, 30, leapt to his death from a seven-story Minneapolis parking lot in the middle of the afternoon just after filing an objection to a court who declined to award him $1.5 million insurance money from the death of his brother and nephews.

According to a police report, the fall was witnessed by four people who said that Powell landed onto the sidewalk in front of them and died instantly. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death of the The University of Minnesota doctoral student in cognitive science.

Michael Powell was known for his vociferous support of his brother Josh, who attacked his two sons Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, with a hatchet before blowing his house up in February of 2012 in Graham, Washington.

Michael's brother Josh was also a person of interest for police in the disappearance of his wife Susan Powell, who was last seen on December 6th, 2009 at the couple's West Balley City, Utah, home - and who Josh claimed went missing during a family camping trip.

In addition, Michael was a staunch supporter of his father Steve Powell, who was convicted in May 2012 of 14 counts of voyeurism for secretly taking photographs of two girls who lived near to his home in Puyallup. Steven Powell is currently serving a prison term for his conviction on 14 counts of voyeurism after investigating officers found in his home large numbers of explicit pictures of two young girl neighbors.They also discovered photographs of Susan Powell, some reportedly taken while she was undressed in his possession. Steven Powell is due to be released in May.

In posts to a short lived website which has now been shut down, Michael Powell said he did not think that law enforcement officers had enough evidence to support the charges against his father. He believed that they had been fabricated to 'inflict maximum damage to the Powell family's reputation and long-term financial situation.'

Before his death, Powell had become involved in a bitter legal battle in U.S. District Court in Western Washington with the parents of his sister-in-law, Chuck and Judy Cox. The three were fighting over the $1.5 million in insurance policies that Josh had issued to himself and his two sons.

A spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the deceased was Michael Powell.Four months before his death on February 5th, 2012, Josh Powell amended his insurance policy, naming Michael instead of his wife Susan as the primary beneficiary.

This meant that Michael Powell was to receive 93 percent of the money, while four percent was to be left to their sister Alina and the remaining three percent to their other brother John. These changes were made three days after his sons were placed in the custody of their grandparents, Chuck and Judy and it was during this residency battle that Josh killed himself and his children.

New York Life Insurance Co. which is refusing to pay out the sum, was seeking a federal judge to rule on whether the changes that Josh Powell made to his policies were valid and still payable - despite the murder and suicide that resulted in his death. Immediately before his suicide, Michael Powell had filed a response, objecting to the appointment in January of Chuck Cox as the sole conservator of his daughter's estate, especially after giving no notice to him - which he alleged was required under the policy.

'They are kind of numb at this time and just very, very sad,' said Kiirsi Hellewell to The Salt Lake Tribune, who was Susan’s close friend and who has grown close to Graves since her sister-in-law’s disappearance. Kiirsi Hellewell, told KSL Radio in Salt Lake City that she worries Michael Powell may have known something about Susan's disappearance. 'And now it's gone,' she said.

Josh Powell is the only suspect police believe to be responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of his wife Susan, who has not been seen since December 2009.

At the time of the shocking murder-suicide of him and his boys, Josh Powell was under investigation in the disappearance of his 28-year-old wife Susan from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. He claimed he had taken the boys on a midnight excursion in freezing temperatures when she vanished.

He claimed he took his young sons, then four and two, camping on the freezing winter night around 12.30am. He says he believes his wife ran off with another man.

The report also said Utah authorities should have revealed their findings to social workers

Authorities searched the desert for twelve days in the area where Josh Powell said he went camping that night. At one point, they said they found a 'shallow grave' after cadaver dogs alerted them to the spot. But they found no human remains.

On the day that he killed himself and his two children, Josh Powell greeted his sons for a court-ordered supervised visit with a case worker before bundling them inside the home and blocking the social worker from entering.

Moments later an explosion ripped through the rental home in the town of Graham, killing Powell and his two boys, aged five and seven.

The case worker arrived at the house and the boys and as the case worker approached, Powell slammed the door in her face and locked it so that she could not get in. She banged on the door and windows and he would not respond.

At the time, Sgt. Ed Troyer, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman, said emails that Powell sent authorities seemed to confirm that Powell planned the deadly blast.

A lawyer for Josh Powell says he received a three-word email from his client just minutes before Powell and sons Charlie and Braden died in a house explosion. It said, 'I'm sorry, goodbye.'

Attorney Jeffrey Bassett said the email arrived at 12.05pm Sunday, but he didn't see it until two hours later, when others informed him of the blast.

Following the accident, Powell's devastated brother-in law Kirk Graves, 39, said the family was stunned by the news.'We never contemplated the idea he would do something like this. You just don't expect it from a father,' he said. 'I think this was a last-ditch effort on his part to hurt everyone around him and escape all of the problems,’ Mr Graves told People magazine.

The Weekend of December 6th and 7th 2009 - Susan Powell, then 28 is last seen at the West Valley City, Utah, home she shares with her husband Josh and their two sons. Josh Powell tells police that he decided to take his boys on an impromptu camping trip that night in the middle of a blizzard but returns home to find his wife gone.

December 24th, 2009 - After two weeks of investigations during which Braden and Charlie confirm the camping trip, Josh Powell is named a person of interest in his wife's disappearance.

Josh's father, Steven, tells the media he thinks Susan skipped town with a man from St. George, Utah, who also vanished from a party the same night she was last seen.

January 2010 - Josh Powell decides to move with his two sons to Puyallup, Washington, which is where he and Susan grew up. He has now begun to tell the media his wife was 'extremely unstable' and was mentally ill.

August 18th, 2011 - Investigators working on a lead travel to abandoned mine shafts in Ely, Nevada, 200 miles away from West Valley. However, nothing is found.

August 20th, 2011 - At a rememberance service for Susan, Steven Powell and her fahter Chuck Cox engage in a public shouting match in which Powell calls Cox a 'liar'.

August 25th, 2011 - Forenisc investigators remove three computers from Josh Powell's home and Steven Powell claims that Susan made sexual advances on him that were 'a little beyond the pale'.

September 14th, 2011 - Authorities in Utah find a shallow grave in a mountainous region which they believe could contain the remains of Susan Powell - the site, near to Topaz Mountain is 30 miles from where Josh said he took the boys camping.

September 22nd, 2011 - Steven Powell is charged with child pornography charges after the computers removed from his sons house reveal incriminating evidence.

September 23rd, 2011 - Steven Powell and Josh Powell are issued with an injunction preventing them from publishing any material from Susan Powell's journals.

September 28th, 2011 - Josh Powell's sons are removed from his custody and placed with Chuck and Judy Cox because they are living in a home with sexually explicit material. He is, however, granted visitation rights with his boys.

February 1st, 2011 - Josh Powell is ordered to take a psychosexual evaluation and polygraph test to regain custody of his boys. Police note that there is information and images on his computer that 'specifically related to their children's welfare.'

February 5th, 2012 - Josh Powell sets off an explosion at his Washington home today that killed himself and his two sons.

February 11th, 2013 - Michael Powell files motion attempting to have his brother's $1.5 million life insurance policy which he was a beneficiary of paid out.

He thinks that the revelation that Charlie had started talking about the details of the evening when Susan disappeared played into Josh's decision to kill his children.'They were becoming more fun, more vocal. They were acting like little boys again, which we hadn't seen in a while. … I imagine that part of Josh's motivation was, what could he do to hide that story?'

He told the Salt Lake Tribune that he takes the explosion as an admission of guilt in Susan's case.'In my personal opinion this is Josh's admission, that he did it. I know others won't interpret it that way.' Steve Downing, a lawyer for Susan Powell's parents Chuck and Judy Cox said in the aftermath: 'It's the most horrifying thing you can imagine happening.' 'They are beyond devastated. They always feared Josh would do something like this.'

Just before his murder suicide Josh Powell was ordered to undergo psycho sexual evaluation, The children, five-year-old Braden and seven-year-old Charles, had been living with their maternal grandparents since September because they were feared unsafe in the care of Josh because of an ongoing voyeurism and child pornography investigation involving Josh Powell’s father Steven.

Adding to the woes of the Powell family, in September 2011, Michael and Josh's father Steve was arrested on child pornography charges.

Authorities had searched the home looking for evidence in Susan's disappearance and found child pornography and other troubling videos in Steve Powell's bedroom.

Prosecutors said that for at least a decade, he had been secretly filming women, including Susan Powell, and that he shot footage of two young female neighbors as they took baths and sat on the toilet.

Immediately after Susan's disappearance, Steven Powell claimed his daughter-in-law was in love with him. In July 2011 he announced that he planned to publish her private journal online. Her parents managed to get a restraining order.

A month later, Josh Powell and his father went on national television to discuss the case. They claimed Susan Powell was promiscuous, emotionally unstable and suicidal, a claim her family denies.

Steven Powell said he had a flirtatious relationship with his daughter-in-law and believed they were in love.‘People don't know that there are two distinct sides of Susan. She was very ... kind of an open person in a sexual way ... with the opposite sex,’ he said.

'Susan was very sexual with me,' Steve Powell told ABC's Good Morning America. 'We interacted in a lot of sexual ways because Susan enjoys doing that.'

'I'm still thinking she left. Hopefully they'll be able to find her at some point... We don't believe she's dead.'The Coxes defended their daughter and said it was Steven Powell who initiated unwanted sexual advances.

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_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!

In the latest chapter of an almost operatic family tragedy, the brother of murder-suicide suspect Josh Powell has died in Minneapolis after apparently throwing himself from a seven-story parking structure.

A spokesman at the University of Minnesota, where Michael Powell was a graduate student, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the death occurred off campus and said the Minneapolis Police Department was investigating.

Powell, 30, had been engaged in a legal battle with the parents of his missing sister-in-law, Susan Cox Powell, over the proceeds of as much as $3.5 million in life insurance paid out after Josh Powell killed himself and the couple’s two young boys in February 2012.

Michael Powell, a doctoral student in cognitive science, had ardently defended his brother when Josh Powell was listed as a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, who was last seen at the couple’s Utah home in December 2009.

Susan Powell’s parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, have long believed their son-in-law was involved in their daughter’s disappearance. But Michael Powell started a website early in the case accusing the police of harassing his brother and alleging that the Coxes were not properly caring for the Powell children, then 7 and 5, after they had been removed from Josh Powell’s custody.

In a long statement on the case, Michael Powell said the police were guilty of “malice” and “incompetence” and failed to pursue other leads that might have explained Susan Powell’s disappearance.

The website was taken down not long after its launch. Michael Powell had not been heard from publicly since Josh Powell locked his boys in the house during what was supposed to be a supervised visitation, attacked them with a hatchet and set fire to the house, killing all three.

Josh Powell had designated his brother Michael and his sister Alina as beneficiaries on the life insurance policies in October 2011, four months before he died.

Michael and Alina Powell tried to collect on the policies a few weeks after their brother’s death, but the Coxes moved to block the distribution, arguing that Josh Powell should not have been entitled to disburse the money.

“The authorities believe Susan is dead, that Josh Powell killed her and her children,” the Coxes’ attorney, Anne Bremner, wrote in a declaration filed with the court in July. “They further believe that one of Josh Powell’s motives for murder was to collect the life insurance policies.”

The Powell brothers' father, Steve Powell, is serving a prison term for his conviction on 14 counts of voyeurism after police found in his home large numbers of suggestive pictures of two young neighbor girls. Photographs of Susan Powell, some apparently taken surreptitiously while she undressed, were also found in her father-in-law's possession.

“An individual jumped from a parking ramp yesterday afternoon. He died at the scene,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

A spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the deceased was Michael Powell.

According to the University of Minnesota website, Powell had received a bachelor's degree in international sciences/Asia from the University of Washington and was a graduate of the Defense Language Institute’s Korean language program.

He was studying acquisition of structured information, such as language using neuroimaging techniques.

Younger brother of Josh Powell, crazed dad who killed sons and himself in 2012 house explosion, commits suicide in Minneapolis

Michael Powell, 30, leapt off a multistory parking garage on Monday afternoon. Powell's brother, Josh, was a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife, Susan Cox Powell, when he blew up a home with his two sons inside last February.

BY PHILIP CAULFIELD / NEW YORK DAILY NEWSWEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013, 3:44 PM

The brother of a troubled Washington state dad who incinerated himself and his two young sons in a horrific murder-suicide last year committed suicide by leaping off parking garage in Minnesota, police said.

Michael Powell, a 30-year-old grad student at the University of Minnesota, died instantly after jumping from the seven-story structure in Minneapolis around 2:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

The suicide was the latest chapter in the grim saga of the Powell family that began with the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell from her West Valley, Utah, home -- allegedly at the hands of her husband -- in December 2009.

Susan Powell vanished in 2009. Her disappearance was the start of a bizarre case that ended in the horrific death of her children at the hands of her husband, Josh Powell.

Michael Powell's death leap comes exactly a year and a week after his older brother Josh Powell butchered his sons with a hatchet and then blew up them and himself in a gas explosion during what was to be a supervised custody visit at a home in Graham, Wash.

There were no witnesses in Michael Powell's death, and police don't know what may have driven him to suicide, Utah's Deseret News reported.

The garage area of the home in Graham, Wash., where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed. Powell's wife, Susan, went mysteriously missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009, and he was person of interest -- though never an official suspect -- in her disappearance.

According to reports, the younger Powell was locked in a bitter legal battle with his dead brother's in-laws over Josh's $3.5 million life insurance claim.Michael and his sister Alina were designated as the policy beneficiaries, but were sued by Susan Cox Powell's parents when they tried to collect, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Chuck and Judy Cox said in the suit that since Josh Powell kidnapped and killed their daughter, his family had no right to receive money from his death or the death of their grandchildren.

A friend of the Powells' told Deseret News that Michael and Josh's sister Jennifer Graves was torn apart by the latest tragic blow to her family.

Chuck and Judy Cox, in-laws of Josh Powell and parents of Susan Cox Powell. Michael Powell and the Coxes were in a dispute over who would receive payment from Josh Powell's $3.5 million insurance claim, which was taken out several months before his death.

"I just felt so heartbroken for her," Kiirsi Hellewell said. "They have been through so much.

"Even though she's been estranged from Michael for the last three years, she still loved him," she added. "He's still her brother. She grew up with him, and she's just got to be going through so much."

Michael Powell rigorously defended his brother during the disappearance ordeal, helping Josh move to Washington from Utah, where he and Susan lived before she vanished, and later launching a website accusing the Coxes and police of harassing his brother, the Times reported.

Josh Powell was never officially named a suspect in his wife's December 2009 disappearance. He said that she vanished mysteriously after he took the two boys camping, leaving after midnight in freezing weather.

The Powells' father, Steven Powell, is currently serving a 2.5-year prison term for acts of voyeurism against young girls.

The man named by the late Josh Powell to receive the largest portion of the family's life insurance policy died Monday in an apparent suicide in Minnesota.

Michael Powell, the younger brother of Josh Powell, jumped to his death from a parking garage in downtown Minneapolis.

Josh Powell died last year in an explosion he set to kill himself and his two sons, 5-year-old Braden and 7-year-old Charlie. Powell was under investigation at the time for the disappearance of his 28-year-old wife, Susan Powell, who vanished from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. He claimed he had taken the boys on a midnight excursion in freezing temperatures the night she went missing.

Susan Powell has not been found.

Prior to his own suicide, Josh Powell changed the name of the primary beneficiary on a life insurance policy to his younger brother, Michael.

Seattle Attorney Anne Bremner, who represents Susan's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, said Michael was set to receive $1.5 million.

"What I understand from the documents is that Josh put in Michael at 93 percent and his sister Alina at 4 percent, and a brother John at 3 percent," Bremner told KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank Show. "It's never been explained why Michael would have the lion share of the proceeds per Josh." The News Tribune reports that if Michael were to die, his portion would be split evenly between Alina and their father, Steven Powell.

Steven Powell is currently jailed in Pierce County after being convicted of voyeurism charges in June 2012. The case involved two neighbor girls he photographed without consent.

Bremner is part of a legal battle to secure the life insurance policy for the Cox family.

"The fact is Susan was the main beneficiary, and of course she was taken out by Josh Powell as beneficiary and Michael Powell was put in after she disappeared," Bremner said.

The News Tribune also reports there is a $1 million life insurance policy in Susan Powell's name that New York Life Insurance Co. would like the court to decide what do to with.

Bremner said the Coxes would like the money to be donated to a number of foundations they are associated with, including the Charlie and Braden Powell Foundation, named in honor of their grandsons.

"With everything bad that's happened to them they want something good to happen," Bremner said. "One would be Charlie and Braden's Law, whether it be changes in legislation to make sure that kids don't go unsupervised in the circumstances these kids did, like lambs to the slaughter to their deaths, but they also want to find their daughter, to have that period at the end of a sentence or that closure, and I think they will."

I believe what happened to the money is that the insurance company doesn't want to pay it to anyone, due to fact that Josh took out this policy after Susan disappeared and then killed himself and the boys. I think it is still in question whether anyone will get it, particularly since it was denied to Michael Powell. Interesting situation.

I'm not sure there is a word that could accurately describe this family of degenerates. Give me one word that describes the family of Steven Powell's family, including his kids.

By The Associated Press on March 07, 2013 at 8:51 PM, updated March 07, 2013 at 8:54 PM

OLYMPIA -- Washington lawmakers are looking to implement new rules to protect children in custody disputes.

The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday in response to the case of missing Utah mother Susan Powell. Josh Powell was the subject of an investigation into his wife's disappearance last year and locked in a custody battle with her parents when he killed himself and the couple's two young children.

The proposed law would require state officials to consult with law enforcement about visitation matters when a parent is an identified suspect in a criminal investigation that could impact the safety of the child. Powell was not a declared suspect in his wife's disappearance but was named a person of interest.

The police chief of West Valley City announced his retirement Friday, effective immediately.

Thayle "Buzz" Nielsen, 61, recently underwent extensive, arduous surgery and is on a long road to recovery, said city manager Wayne Pyle. Nielsen concluded that he can’t provide the kind of vigilance and leadership the department needs during his recovery and decided to step aside, a possibility he’d been considering in the two weeks since his surgery, Pyle said.

Capt. Anita Schwemmer will serve as chief while city officials look for a permanent replacement, a process that might take months as they look at both candidates within the department and outside of it, Pyle said.

Pyle couldn’t comment on Nielsen’s medical history, but said that the origin of the problem goes back longer than the 15 years he’s known him.

He was even born with medical problems, according to a 2011 video interview with The Tribune.

"I guess I was always crying," Nielsen said, "[So] my grandma named me Buzz, and it worked and it stuck and then when I got to school, nobody could say Thayle, so I was always embarrassed growing up, so I stuck with the name of Buzz."

Nielsen made chief in 2002, having joined West Valley City as a patrol officer when the city incorporated in July of 1980.

Since then West Valley City has grown into the second-largest municipality in the state with 132,000 residents.

The property crime rate declined by 23 percent from 2002 to 2010, according to FBI data. The violent crime rate increased 19 percent in that span.

Nielsen and his department have been in the spotlight since December 2009, when Susan Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home.

Powell has never been located. The only person of interest in the case, her husband Josh Powell, killed the couple’s two sons then himself Feb. 5, 2012, in Graham, Wash.

Attorneys representing Susan Powell’s family have accused West Valley City police of making mistakes in the investigation. But on Friday, her father Chuck Cox wished Nielsen well.

"I don’t blame him for anything," Cox said. "I think he did the best that he could and think [West Valley City police are] continuing to do the best they can."

In the 2011 interview, Nielsen pointed to Susan Powell’s case as one of the most interesting moments in his career, as well as the murder of Margo Bond. The John F. Kennedy Junior High School janitor disappeared in 1992 and her husband was considered a suspect. But a father and son found her corpse — her arm bone was protruding from a shallow grave in Tooele County — and Roberto Arguelles, a Utah State Prison inmate, confessed to killing her when he was out on parole that year.

Nielsen also said that he considers law enforcement the best profession, one in which he could see the difference they made "then and there."

Councilman Don Christensen, whose son is a WVCPD officer, spoke highly of Nielsen’s effort to work with other agencies along the Wasatch Front to buy resources, like ammunition and vehicles, at a bulk rate.

On top of that he "was a cop’s cop," Mayor Mike Winder said, who was "extremely dedicated to what he was doing."

Schwemmer takes over during the ongoing investigation into the death of 21-year-old Danielle Willard, who was unarmed when she was shot and killed by two West Valley City detectives on Nov. 2 of last year. Willard’s family and supporters have held multiple protests and vigils over the shooting.

What a Man Chuck Cox is. He could have slammed Nielsen but he didn't. Well, I can. I think he did a pizz poor job and had he not allowed supervised visits in the home JP rented, those poor little boys would be alive today. Hell, I'll take it even farther. If he had arrested that POS from the get-go, it's highly possible Susan's remains would have been found. I won't even "go there" about the POS's father. :pervert:

_________________Prayers for our little HaLeigh Cummings, wherever she may be!!